Maximum Discovers the Fourth Dimension
by JesusFreakft
Summary: After Max discovers a second voice in her head, which one will she listen to? Voice or the new Voice II? And what does this new Voice have to tell her that the original Voice wants left alone?
1. Hearing Voices

I woke up and sleepily looked around the dark cave where my flock and me were staying. A holiday, of sorts. They were not awake yet. I yawned and stretched. I felt like doing a little flying with the hawks outside, if they were up yet.

I walked outside the cave to the ledge in the mountain. I opened my wings and stretched them before tilting off the edge and taking flight.

Most of the hawks weren't up yet, apparently, so I just soared through the air alone, enjoying every moment of it.

_Go to Canada._

Great, my Voice was back.

_No, do not go to Canada._

_But you just said to go to Canada, Voice,_ I thought.

Do not listen to that Voice. Go to Canada.

Okay, now that was certainly not my Voice. I knew that after hearing it a second time. My Voice said not to go to Canada. My second Voice said to go there. Wait, now I had _two_ voices in my head?!

_Listen to me, Max, _Voice said, _Do not go to Canada._

_Why is this other telling you not to go to Canada?_ Voice II asked.

_Yeah,_ I thought,_ Why don't you want me to go to Canada, Voice?_

_There is simply no need,_ Voice replied.

_Ah, but there is,_ Voice II countered.

_Hold on!_ I thought, _Why should I listen to either of you?_

_Why did you listen to your first Voice before now?_ Voice II asked.

I thought about it, _Um…I'm not sure,_ I admitted, _I guess I just trusted it._

Do you know who that voice is?

_Jeb, _I thought, _Or at least part of the time it's Jeb._

_Do you trust Jeb?_

_Uh…let me think real hard about this,_ I thought, _Let me think about all those times he traitorously backstabbed me and manipulated me. No! I don't trust Jeb!_

_And yet you trusted the Voice he used?_ Voice II pointed out. Then it said simply, _Trust me._

I sighed. It looked like my flock and I were going to Canada.


	2. On to Canada

After rousing everyone with the happy fact that we were on the move again, we headed north to Canada. There were a few unscheduled stops, such as when my flock insisted that a certain diner was the _only_ place we should stop for breakfast. And then in a national forest when Gazzy reported that he needed to take a pit stop, at which Fang suggested we keep flying; but everyone else (except Iggy) adamantly vetoed that idea.

But anyway we finally made it into Canada to the place where my Voice II told me to go. It was a nice house in the city, and Voice II even told me which window was our destination. That was a lot more help than the original Voice was. It just kept ordering me to turn around and go back to…well…pretty much anywhere except Canada.

As we descended from about 5,000 feet we hoped no one happened to be looking skyward, especially any potential whitecoats, various whitecoat henchmen, etc. that happened to be there mutating random creations for world domination.

The window was conveniently open and so one by one we flew inside, flared to a stop, and moved aside for the others until we were all inside. We were in a bedroom, relatively normal as far as we could tell, (not that we were qualified to recognize the ordinary). Glancing around I took in a bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf of various books.

On the bed sat a girl with dark hair, about as old as Fang, Iggy, and I, operating a laptop computer.

She looked up calmly as we entered, "So you're here," she smiled.

"Funny, I noticed the same thing," Iggy said, then gasped as my elbow hit him in the gut.

"Who are you? And how did you know we were coming?" I asked the girl as Fang helped Iggy regain his breath.

"My name is Amy," the girl said, "And I know because an angel told me you were coming."

I glanced at Angel and the girl laughed, "Different angel," she said.

I looked blankly at the girl...Amy. I guess the rest of my flock looked the same way because Amy's eyebrows raised slightly and she said, "You _do_ know what an angel is, right?"

"Of course we do!" I snapped, then said, "But angels don't just wander around talking to people!"

"Don't they?" Amy said, looking at each of us. Then she took a breath and said, "Perhaps I'd better explain."

"Please do," I said.

Amy closed the laptop and set it on the bed. Then she began: "As you may or may not know, there are three dimensions commonly spoken of; height, width, and depth."

"Does anyone _not_ know that?" I interrupted.

She shrugged, "I wasn't sure. With your past—"

"What do you know of our past?" I was beginning to get slightly alarmed

"The angel outlined it for me, in a general sense," she explained.

I nodded, "Riiiight..."

_Max, do not listen to her. She is an imposter,_ Voice ordered me sternly.

_Wow,_ I thought, _That's a good fact to go on. You got any counterattacks for this ingenious argument, Voice II?_ I asked sarcastically.

Both voices were silent.

"So anyway," Amy began again, "Besides the common three dimensions, many people also say there is a fourth dimension: Time."

"Of course," Total said, "_The Time Machine_ by H. G. Wells."

Everyone stared at Total.

"What?" he said, "Don't you people read any classic literature?!"

"Actually we're too busy on the run for our lives right now," I stated. Then I wondered why I was talking so freely in front of this girl, Amy, of whom we knew...well...nothing. Except that an "angel" had appeared to her, of course. Aside from that, I mean. I looked back at Amy, "You were saying?"

She was looking at Total, "Even knowing about it beforehand," she said, "A talking dog..." Then she caught herself and said, "Oh, right. Where was I?"

"The fourth dimension," Nudge said helpfully.

"Oh, yes, the fourth dimension," Amy said, looking again at Total before tearing her eyes away, "The fourth dimension. Many think this dimension is time. They are wrong," she said bluntly, "The fourth dimension is not time. It is something that is scoffed at by brilliant scientists, and yet exists."

"And what is this fourth dimension, then, if not time?" Fang asked.

Amy looked directly at him, her eyes alight, "The fourth dimension," she said, "Is the realm of the supernatural."


	3. The Supernatural

"The realm of the supernatural?" I asked, sure she was joking, or at least mistaken.

"The realm of the supernatural," Amy confirmed.

I looked at Angel and she looked back. _She's sincere, Max. If she's wrong she doesn't know it._ I nodded and gave Angel a little smile. Your own mind reader comes in handy sometimes.

"Isn't the supernatural a little...mythical?" Fang asked.

My, he was getting downright talkative.

"The 'supernatural'," Amy replied, "Has been used to mean any number of things including vampires, werewolves, spirits, the undead, black magic, various gods, or any number of different things. But this does not mean that there is no supernatural," she continued, "Many hundreds of people throughout history have testified that there are things supernatural. This, of course, does not mean that they are all correct. It simply provides a basis for the claim that there are, in fact, supernatural beings in existence."

"Is that all the proof you have?" Iggy asked skeptically.

"And what realms of the supernatural do exist, assuming we don't think you're completely wacko?" I added.

She smiled, "I'll answer Max's question first, which will lead into the answer to Iggy's. I believe in the Bible, the Christian holy book. This Book has been examined and no one has ever found any historical flaw in it. Now, when you tell a story to your children, or write it down, and it is passed down through generation after generation after generation, does the story stay the same? No, it is changed a little here, and a little there, and pretty soon it's a completely different story. Now, what are the chances a book of stories and prophecies like the Bible would survive for over 2,000 years without being changed once and still being completely historically accurate? And the people who wrote this book, the many, many of people over thousands of years, were completely different. Some were prophets, others were shepherds, others were kings, and yet others were fishermen. What are the chances that this Book could survive for over two thousand years without the slightest change _and_ that the many authors of various parts of it, from all different levels of society and in a period of a few thousand more years, were able to compose a book without flaw that completely complemented the other books without flaw?"

I thought about that. If I had written a book, there was no way it would survive the press and random other people warping it to say what they want it to say.

"The chances would be pretty slim," I agreed, "You still haven't answered my question, though, on the reality of the supernatural."

"Didn't I?" Amy said, "I suppose I didn't, did I? Well, I believe in one God, the make of heaven and earth, (and pretty much everything, period), and I believe in angels of God and demons of the devil. I believe that God's only Son, Jesus Christ, was murdered in order to save sinners, of which everyone is."

"Why did He need to die?" Nudge asked.

"That was God's price," Amy said, "Only the blameless and righteous could enter His paradise. Only those who have never sinned. And we have all sinned."

"Then," Nudge said, "Where is the hope of the world? Why should we follow a God whom we can never please?"

It was a good question, and I was starting to wonder that myself. I had seen her proof, and it made sense. If she was right, where was the hope for the world? I might be able to save the world from an evil corporation, but from a supernatural being who created everything? It was impossible. Was there even any hope for the world?


	4. Hope for the World?

Amy was solemn, "There was no hope for the world," she said, "The Almighty God had set his decrees and we had violated them. His punishment was eternal death and separation from Him."

Fang spoke up, "If He loved us so much, why did He condemn us?"

"Yeah," Angel asked, "Wouldn't love forgive and forget?"

"He does love us," Amy said, "But as much as He loves us, He is also a just and righteous God. His righteousness compelled Him to discipline us if we disobey his commandments."

"Sooo...you're saying there isn't any hope for the world?" I asked.

"There _wasn't_," Amy corrected, "Past tense. God's price for our lives was His Son's life. His Son, Jesus Christ, was ridiculed, mocked, abused, and brutally murdered for our sins."

"Why did they kill Him?" Nudge asked, "How could they kill Him without a trial?"

"Oh, they had a trial, alright," Amy said, "And they found Him innocent, too. But the people insisted so persistently that the Roman governor was forced to let them execute them, while claiming to have no blame for it."

"That's horrible," Angel said softly.

"Yes," I agreed.

"But this was God's price," Amy said, "Jesus was murdered, but on the third day afterward He was raised to life. And He lives in heaven to this day and forevermore."

"So now that the price was paid, now what?" I asked.

"I'm getting to that. Once price was paid, we only have to believe. 'That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' Romans 10:9."

"That's it?" Iggy said, "We just...believe?"

"That's it," Amy confirmed.

"I...I don't know," Fang said, "Why should we believe you?"


	5. One God

"I...I don't know," Fang said, "Why should we believe you?"

"I have presented you with the proof," Amy pointed out, "But," she added as I started to say something, "God has given me the power to reveal to others a tiny portion of His glory. I can show this to you, if you wish."

I was hesitant, "You could have a way to make us feel things with the push of a button."

"Not without electrodes attached to your face and other vitals," Amy said.

"How do you know about..." Fang stopped, "Nevermind."

"You could have a way," I repeated.

Amy nodded, "I could. How about if we go out to the lawn? Or maybe to the state park down the street?"

"Okay," I agreed, "You probably couldn't do it there."

We flew out the window and Fang and Iggy held Amy and carried her down the street to the state park with some difficulty.

Once there, Amy said, "Okay, are you ready?"

"Yes," I said, looking around at my flock, who nodded, "Although I'm still not sure what you're talking..."

But Amy didn't seem to hear me as she looked toward the sky with arms outstretched, "Father," she said, "Show them a small portion of Your holy glory. Show them Your holiness; Your righteousness."

I realized she must be praying. That was as far as I thought before a wave of emotion hit me. It was the cleanest, purest, most good thing I had ever felt. And, I felt sure, the most righteous thing anyone had _ever_ felt. No, it wasn't just "good", it _was_ good. There was love and compassion, but in addition there was anger. Not just the anger you get when your friend makes a joke about you, or when someone makes you look foolish for something stupid you did. This was a holy and pure anger. I saw myself in comparison to this righteousness. All my sin. My wrongs. Every single violation of this God's law. He was a blanket of pure white, and I was a black stain. He was a blanket of snow, and I a muddy splotch in comparison. Every sin I had ever committed. The countless times I had disobeyed His perfect rules. And I hadn't cared! I couldn't compare this purity! I couldn't face this righteousness after I died! He was clean, white, and beautiful! I was a piece of vomit to be stepped on and swept up and thrown away, never to be seen again! I was worthless! I was evil! I thought I was good and kind in comparison to the Whitecoats. In comparison to Jeb. But in comparison to this holiness I was evil! Pure and total evil! I was everything unrighteous! Everything impure! When I died and faced this pure cleanliness I would die! I had violated His sacred law and I would die! I could do nothing to stop it! There was an impassable chasm between us! There was no way I could _ever_ live against this purity! I. Would. Die.

I wanted to die! I wanted to shrivel up and disappear forever! But this righteousness was the Creator of all things! He made me! I could not hide from Him! He was everywhere! He was everything good and I, an evil wretch, couldn't escape His presence!

Then, suddenly, it was gone. I felt my vision returning. My hearing. I looked up, shaken. This Almighty God's presence was gone. But I still remembered. I knew I had no hope. Now, or ever. What could I possibly do?


	6. Acceptance

"It is over, Max," came Amy's voice.

"Over?" I exclaimed, "What do you mean it is over?! What was that evil you showed me?" I tried to sound confident but I could not. What I had seen was too much.

"By His power, the Almighty God showed you His glory. That evil was not of Him. That evil was you, Max."

I started to retort, but I could not simply dismiss the images I had seen. The feelings I had felt. In all my years as a tortured mutant, never had I felt so alone. So evil.

"There is no hope for me," I whispered, "No way I can measure up to this Power."

"No," Amy agreed, "On your own, you can do nothing."

"I am doomed," I said, oblivious, as tears filled my eyes, "I am doomed to an eternal death for my sin."

"On your own you can do nothing," Amy repeated, "But you're not on your own, Max."

I looked up, "What do you mean?"

"This is why Jesus Christ, God's Son, was murdered," she said passionately, "He died that you might live forever in eternity with Him."

"Why?" I asked, "Why would He do this for a fool, a sinner, like me?"

"Love," Amy said simply, "For God so love the world, that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life."

"That is in the Bible," Nudge said. There were tears in her eyes. My whole flock was crying, shaken by the sight they had just seen. I could relate to that.

"Yes," Amy replied, "It is in the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16."

"How?" I asked, before sobbing, then, "How may I be saved?"

"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved," Amy said, "You and your flock."

"All we have to do is...believe?" Iggy asked. He too was in tears.

"It is a gift of God," Amy told him, "No charge. We could never repay our debt to Him. I have accepted my gift," she said, looking at all of us, "How about you?

_Do not do this, Max,_ Voice ordered.

"I...I accept," I barely made my voice respond.

"Me too," Nudge said, and one by one we all agreed. Who could disagree after what we had seen?

"How do we accept this gift?" Fang asked.

"You pray to Him," Amy said, "Ask for His forgiveness for your sins, and tell Him you accept His gift of salvation and will live for Him from now forward."

"How do you talk to God?" Angel inquired.

"Like your best friend," Amy answered, "That is who He is. This loving, all-powerful God is the closest friend you will ever have."

_I'm warning you, Maximum, do not be foolish._

_Shut up, Voice!!_ I mentally shouted, _I have seen the Light. I do not care for your opinion right now!!_

So she prayed with us, and we asked the Almighty to forgive our great sin against Him. We told Him we accepted His gift, and that we would serve Him only, and none other. And when we were done, I felt relief wash over me. No, not just relief, but overwhelming love, affection, and the knowledge that I was His. I could feel my Voice seething in barely controlled anger, but someone was happy.

_Well done, Maximum Ride,_ Voice II said lovingly, _Welcome to My world._


	7. Another Mission

"So, now what?" I asked Amy.

"This was only part of the reason you were sent here by Him," she replied.

"Here it comes," Iggy muttered half good-naturedly. In a strange kind of way, I was glad he was making jokes again, however annoying.

"There is a situation a little more than twelve miles from here," she said, "You were chosen to show these people the Light."

"Just one situation?" I asked, "I'm not saving the entire world this time?"

Amy smiled, "No," she said, "But these people are important nevertheless. And just because you are not saving the entire world does not mean it will be easy."

"Oh, well, how hard can it be?" I asked, trying to sound confident.

"You are trying to rely on your own strength to get you through this," Amy said, "You must let His power do this. Not yours. You may be powerful in the physical realm, but the supernatural realm is quite different."

I nodded and took a deep breath, "Okay," I said, "What's my job?"

"This is your whole flock's job," Amy said, "So at least that's a little less pressure on you, huh?"

I grinned, "Somewhat, yes."

In truth, I was quite relieved to have my flock with me not as backup, but as partners.

"So what is this?" Gazzy piped up, "Save the city, flock!"

"Not quite," Amy said, "Shall I show you?"

"How will you get there?" it was Fang. Right to the heart of the matter as always. He realized she could not be carried twelve miles. Him and Iggy could barely carry her down the block!

"Perhaps if we hitchhike we can—" I stopped mid-thought as Amy rose off the ground a few inches, then a few feet.

"But..but..." Nudge stuttered, at a loss of words for once, "You don't have wings!"

"As I said," Amy answered, "The realm of the supernatural is quite different than that of the physical."

"Why couldn't you do that before?" Iggy grumbled.

"I could, but it was not yet time."

I nodded, not quite understanding. All this new stuff was...well...new to me.

"Shall we be off?" Amy asked.

I looked up, "Oh...uh...right. Everyone ready?"

They all nodded.

"This way," Amy said, rising into the air and heading diagonal, further into the forest.

I felt a tinge of anger, as if my flock was now under different authority, but I immediately dismissed the thought. Amy was not here to take over, she was merely the only one with the knowledge of where the second part of our mission was to take place.

I leaped off the ground into the air and we flew high into the night. It was slightly unnerving watching Amy fly like us, except without wings, and positioned vertically as if she were simply floating there, which I guess she was. After a while I got used to it, though. Just in time for us to arrive at our destination.

Amy pointed out a bonfire in a clearing in this sea of trees, "There it is," she said, her voice slightly lowered, "These people do not worship God, or at least the Almighty God that we know. These people worship the opposite being. They worship Satan, the Prince of Darkness," her voice was not angry, merely pitying.

"Wait," Fang said, "So you're saying that the same night we discover this Truth we have to convince others of It as we were just convinced?"

Amy nodded, "Yes," she said, "But it was Him who gave you this task, and He would not have done it without the knowledge that you would be able to do it."

I dearly hoped she was right, because these people didn't look all that friendly. And I would know. I had raptor vision.


	8. The Dark Being

After landing behind some rocks, we watched as people with bowed heads and dark clothing faced a dark statue. And to top it all off, it was a dark night.

A lone figure walked slowly, almost ceremoniously, to the slightly raised platform at the center, head lowered. Once there, he faced the crowed and bellowed so loudly it made me jump.

"We are here, O Mighty One, to show our affection to you."

A few murmurs reached my ears and I realized the audience was chanting something.

"We show you our love, our dedication to your cause," the figure continued, as the murmurs grew in volume until it could be understood as the chanting I had supposed a moment ago, "By this sacrifice we now offer to you, O Prince of Darkness."

The figure walked slowly over to a table where I noticed a quivering figure, apparently strapped down. A ginormous statue sat directly behind it, made of some dark material that seemed to radiate evil. Suddenly, its stone eyes slid open. It was alive! I gasped aloud, unable to stop myself. The eyes slowly rotated to the left, then to the right, taking in the crowd of worshippers. When it reached the right side they stopped, then slowly raised until they were in line with our viewing spot.

When it spoke the evil was so great, the hatred so intense, the power so overwhelming, that I dropped to the ground gasping. It slowly rasped three words, "Followers of Jehovah."

The crowd gasped and turned to look at us, but I didn't notice. I was on my back, trying desperately to breath, my eyes open wide in shock. This evil was immensely powerful! Incredibly!

"Father, help us," I heard Amy mutter anxiously to my right.

And then suddenly, strangely, I felt a calm bravery come over me. I knew the One True God. And He was on my side. Fear? Why fear? My God would look out for me and my flock. I knew it. I picked myself up and stood bravely as dark figures rushed up the hill behind the rocks, grabbing us and dragging us down the hill toward the stage.

_See how much help this new God of yours is?_

_Voice, _I thought, _Welcome back._

_He lets you be taken captive by His worst enemy at the first sign of trouble,_ Voice continued, ignoring my sarcasm, _Some God He turned out to be. And I heard He was so loving and all._

I didn't answer. It made sense. As much as I wanted to believe in this God, He didn't seem to be helping right now.

_Up and away,_ I thought at Angel, who shot me a sidelong glance to tell me she heard, _On three._

"Say," I said conversationally, "This camp looks great guys. No really, this one's a good one."

We kept walking.

"I said, this _one's_ a good _one_."

Nudge cracked a stick as she walked.

We really need to work out an organized signal, my flock and I.

I bumped into Iggy significantly in case he didn't realize something was about to happen, what with his being blind and all, then spun 180 degrees and double-roundhouse-kicked two of the silent figures who had been holding onto me.

They weren't silent no more as they fell to the ground with grunts and gasps. I leapt into the air and stretched my wings, and thankfully my flock took the hint. With a few well-placed kicks and punches, soon we were twenty feet above onlookers and rising. I looked downward and was horrified to see Amy standing calmly in the midst of downed figures in black robes.

"Come on!" I yelled, but she just shook her head sadly and turned calmly toward several more figures who were rushing up frantically, allowing herself to be led away again toward the center of the gathering.

Then Amy seemed to stare into space for a moment, and she shook her head and looked up at me. No, not at me, at Angel. I realized Angel was communicating with Amy by reading her thoughts and sending some back. Amy even looked slightly amazed, and even impressed, as Angel used her powers.

I mean, if it's possible to look amazed and impressed while looking scared and terrified.

I was stuck. We couldn't leave Amy there at their hands, but we couldn't just go back down there fighting those unknown figures, many of them glancing up at us with dark gazes. Could we? Why couldn't we fight Amy free? We'd done it so many other times.

I was about to order an attack when I caught sight of the dark giant atop the wooden stage in the center of the clearing. He smiled at me, and suddenly I felt such fear that I couldn't think to do anything except turn and run. But scarcely had I done so than I felt a zap accompanied by a crackle no unlike electricity and suddenly an evil so powerful filled my mind that I couldn't think, couldn't react. Couldn't make a move to help myself as my wings stopped working and I plummeted to the ground, oblivious to everything except the absolute power of the evil filling my mind.


	9. Captured

I was lying down. That meant I was still alive.

That was a good thing.

My head throbbed a little.

That was a bad thing, but could be a whole lot worse.

I was lying on something hard and cold.

That was a bad thing. I had a history with cold, hard places of rest. A bad history.

I opened my eyes and saw metal bars on three sides. I tilted my head back and saw a rock wall. I looked farther and saw several such cells in a small room with rock walls.

One housed Amy.

"You're awake," she said.

"Me, awake?" I asked sarcastically, "What made you think that?"

She maintained her cool, "Shall we trade insults our discuss our situation calmly?"

I wasn't one to admit my fault, but she was waiting for an answer so I said, "Let's talk."

She nodded, "After you came down, they dragged you and me both a little ways away to this building and locked us up. There is no way out," she added, noticing my eyes subconsciously patrolling.

Whoever it was that said, "Ignorance is bliss" sure knew what they were talking about.

"And the flock?" I asked.

"They got away."

"Good, they're safe," I sighed with relief.

"No," Amy said, "Not safe."

"But you just said..."

"I said they got away. I did not say they were safe."

I blinked uncomprehendingly.

"Max," Amy said, "My God's opponent..._our_ God's opponent...does not need physical barriers."

"What is he, some kind of mutant who can walk through walls?" I asked.

"No," Amy said, "He is a spiritual being. He is everything that is evil. He is a liar, a thief, and a rebel against Jehovah."

"Who is he, then?" I asked.

"He is called Satan. He is the Prince of Darkness. And Max, he hates us."


	10. Escape

I shivered involuntarily, "Why does he hate us?"

"Because, Max," Amy said, "He hates the One we serve."

I nodded, digesting this, "So how do we get away? What do they want from us, anyway?"

"I'll answer them in the order you asked them," Amy replied, "We escape when our God delivers us."

Right. God.

Amy continued, "And they most likely wish to sacrifice us as offerings to Satan, whom they serve."

If I had eaten anything in the last few hours I think I would've thrown up.

"Sacrifice?" I asked weakly, "As in, lethally?"

"Yes," Amy said, looking unconcerned.

"Doesn't that concern you a the tiniest little bit?" I screamed calmly.

Amy looked directly at me, "Max, God _will_ deliver us," she said comfortingly, "Have faith."

I nodded. I would try to have faith. But how can you have faith in a god you can't see like a real person? I asked Amy.

"But you _did_ see Him, Max," Amy said, "Remember?"

"Yeah," I said, "But I didn't see His body, just His...power."

"He is not a person with a physical body restraining His movement," Amy explained, "He is simply the Creator of these things."

"Why didn't you come try and escape with us?" I asked, changing the subject.

"He told me not to."

"Why?"

"He did not explain."

"And you trust Him?"

"Yes, Max. He loves me. Would you trust Fang or Iggy if they told you not to escape?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I would," I said.

"Why would you trust them, and yet you're hesitant to trust God?"

"Um...I guess because I've known them for a long time."

"Yes, Max, and many hundreds of people have known God for century after century. He does not change."

I didn't reply, thinking about all this.

_Duck and cover, Max._

Angel!

"Take cover!" I cried to Amy, throwing myself to the ground and covering my head with my arms.

BOOM!!

The stone walls and the dirt floor shook crazily, and I heard a loud smash. I opened one eye cautiously and saw that the wall on one side of Amy and my cells had fallen outward and hit the ground. I leaped to my feet and rushed outside, calling back to Amy. She followed and together we rushed outside in time to take on twenty or so figures chaotically running around shouting and pointing at us.

One grunted as I took him down with a roundhouse kick to the chin.

Another went down with an uppercut to the stomach.

I looked over and saw that Amy was doing a fine job flipping into each other and the ground without actually hurting them significantly.

I turned back in time to see fifty more figures running toward me. I was good, but not that good. Fortunately, my flock was still there.

"Aaaaauugh!!" Iggy yelled as he took out four at once with a horizontal body slam.

Nudge and Angel rocketed down and landed before running into the crowd, throwing random punches and kicks, tripping people and shouting, creating chaos while Gazzy helped by tossing some grenades into the growing mass.

I was just wondering where Fang was when a body dropped behind me and I turned to see Fang flip another my way, which I put out with a standing dropkick.

"ENOUGH!!!"

The battle froze at the sound of that evil, sinister voice that belonged to the Evil One.


	11. Captives Again

One by one my flock stumbled its way to me and Fang, obviously frightened. Amy came also, although she still looked relatively calm.

"BRING THEM HERE!!" The evil voice thundered, and the dark, evil figures hastened to do just this.

I raised my arms to restart the fight, but Amy said, "No, Max, not now."

"Why don't you want me to fight?" I asked, turning my head.

"Not me," she answered, "Him."

I started to protest, but the dark figures came and started dragging us up a hill, and I didn't say anything. I needed to try to trust God. This was His mission. Had He not saved me before? He would save me now.

Soon we were over the hill and led down to the place we had seen at first, only this time they led us to the center, directly beside the altar and the statue that seemed to be alive.

Once we were standing there our escorts left us and disappeared in the crowd gathered in front watching us. Only one figure remained, and I could see the evil glint in his eyes as he looked at us and turned back to the statue.

"Here are your sacrifices, O Satan!" he cried.

"BRING THEM CLOSER."

I shuddered from the pure evil radiating from that voice.

The figure motioned us forward toward the statue and we walked slowly closer, with Amy leading the way.

The statue's eyes moved from side to side, looking at each of us. They moved to one side, then toward the other side where I was standing. I shivered, though not from cold. Then they landed on me and I gasped and swayed on wobbly legs, my mouth moving but nothing coming out.

_Goodbye, Max,_ Voice said with mock regret, _It seems your God does not care to look after you anymore._

"Father God, help us stand," Amy muttered under her breath.

And immediately I felt better.

_Stand tall, My child,_ Voice II said comfortingly, _You will not die today._

I stopped shaking all over and the terror receded from my mind. I stood up and saw Amy and my entire flock standing tall.

The statue's eyes narrowed and my terror level rose again, but a love so extremely powerful entered my mind that it pushed the terror away again. Not so that it wasn't there, it just wasn't an issue.

The statue seemed to be shaking with rage as it bellowed, "KILL THESE FOLLOWERS OF JEHOVAH!!!"

The figure that had remained onstage moved toward us and once again I felt hands behind me pushing me toward the altar.

My body quaked, but my mind was at ease. There was a safety in this situation that was unexplainable, but my mind recognized the raw feelings and didn't need an explanation.

I was safe.


	12. An Attempted Sacrifice

The figures led us toward the altars. The sky was dark and it was cold. I shivered, and this time it was from the cold.

Amy was shoved forward and laid onto the stone altar first. Her wrists and ankles were tied down so she could not move.

The one who seemed to be the leader, perhaps a priest, brought out a gleaming knife that shown in the moonlight like ice, cold and evil. He came forward and raised it over Amy's chest.

Suddenly I knew I had to stop it. I didn't care what a voice in my head told me, if I didn't act now Amy would be dead!

Amy saw the look on my face and concentrated. Angel's voice came into my head:

_Amy says to have faith._

Faith. In a God I couldn't see? In a voice in my head that could be from some kind of chip implant? How could I do that when Amy was about to be mercilessly murdered?!

I had to do something. But what?

The priest looked toward the statue, as if requesting approval to commit the deed.

If Gazzy had another grenade we could throw it and...no, we were too close. And so was Amy.

"DO IT!" the Prince of Darkness' voice thundered.

Maybe if I did a flying front-kick to the priest then that would confuse everything until...but no, the Evil One would stop anything I tried!

The priest looked back at Amy, the look in his eyes as sharp as the dagger in his hand.

I looked around desperately. There must be a way to save her before...

With a shout the knife dropped at Amy, straight for her heart.

And stopped within millimeters of touching her.

The priest applied more force, but the dagger would not budge. He grunted and shifted all of his weight onto it, but he may as well have been trying to pierce a bulletproof glass.

"ENOUGH!!" But it was a different voice this time. This voice was full of anger, but it was easily distinguishable from the voice of Satan.

"LEAVE THIS PLACE!!" the voice of the Evil One roared, "THIS IS _MY_ PLACE!"

"YOUR PLACE?!" the second voice roared back, "IT WAS I WHO CREATED THIS PLACE! IT WAS I WHO CREATED THESE PEOPLE! AND IF IT WERE NOT FOR ME, _YOU_ WOULD NOT EXIST TO TERRORIZE MY CREATION, EITHER!!"

"YOU ARROGANT FOOL!!" the Prince of Darkness' words were like thunder, "YOU HIDE AND TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO?! SHOW YOUR POWER, WHAT LITTLE YOU HAVE, AND SEE IF THIS PITIFUL WEAKLING OF A SERVANT OF YOURS IS NOT DEAD BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN..."

Before he had even finished speaking a lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck the altar, blinding everyone. The altar, with Amy on it, burst into a blue flame. The flame grew so large that no one could stare into it, much less see what had become of Amy or the altar on which she was firmly tied. There was no way Amy could survive such intense flames! She had to be dead! And by the hand of her own God!


	13. A Turning of Events Again

How could Amy's God, _my_ God, perform a deed like this?

Angel gasped and Nudge put her hands to her face, both unable to tear their eyes from where the altar had stood, which was now just a ball of blue flame.

The statue, the Prince of Darkness, laughed. That vile creature guffawed evilly with a dark sense of humor.

"HE COULD NOT LET ME KILL ONE HE HAD CHOSEN!!" he shouted with glee, "HE HAS KILLED IT HIMSELF!!"

The stunned crowd erupted into cheers, and minor chants of "Satan! Satan! Satan!" and "Prince of Darkness! Prince of Darkness! Prince of Darkness!" could be heard.

My flock was stunned. How could she die like this? How could this God do this to her?

Then, in the outline of the flickering flames, a profile emerged. A human profile. Its arms were raised in agony and it stumbled forward.

Amy!

I looked for water, or maybe a blanket, anything to quench the flames. But she still walked forward until she left the perimeter of the flames.

I rushed toward her. I remembered hearing something about how to put out a fire. Drop and roll. Or was it roll and drop?

My frantic musings were cut short as she emerged from the firelight. She was not on fire. Not a flame had followed her. For that matter, not a flame had touched her inside the flaming ball either. She was unscathed!

Her arms were not raised in agony, but in victory!

The voice of the Almighty God sounded, this time quieter and more composed, "I created all this, Lucifer. Do I not have all power involving it?"

The crowd quieted and, for once, the statue of Satan seemed at a loss for words. Its eyes narrowed and evil, it just glared at Amy. But she ignored it.

"Today," she shouted, "The One True God has prevailed! Choose now who you will follow: the Almighty God, or this evil, powerless imitation of Him."

The crowd just stood still, eyes wide.

The priest fell to his knees and raised his tearful eyes skyward, "Forgive me, Lord!" he shouted, "For I have sinned greatly!"

Soon air erupted with noise as the rest of the people shouted similar cries of repentance.

I looked at my flock. They stood still, silent, greatly moved by these events. I also was moved.

I looked over at Amy. Her arms were upraised and there were tears running down her face. Her mouth moved, and above the din of noise I could not hear what she shouted. But my years of training had taught me to read lips quite easily. So I knew when she shouted it high into night, to an unseen God.

"Praise you, Father!"


	14. Afterwards

Hey, Max here. This story is one of my favorites because it shows how things can look one way but actually be totally different.

This can be seen in the way the plot looked to me like a things were going to happen a certain way but it turned out a lot differently than I thought it would.

It can also be seen in the way we all look at the world and assume that there is no God. No Creator over us. We imagine that we are the best simply because we can't see a more powerful being.

Well, after what happened to me, I can tell you the truth. There is only one True God. Only one Maker of heaven and earth and everything related to it.

This God, who is perfection itself, who created us, and whom we disobeyed by worshiping ourselves rather than Him. It was He that sent His only Son, Christ Jesus, to earth to die an unwarranted and untimely death to pay the price for all of our sins.

As Amy told us, He loves us deeply and will accept us if we accept Him.

To accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you must believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, and confess with your mouth that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Pray to God. Tell Him you are a sinner, and you know it, and that you repent of your sins and choose Him forevermore as your Lord, the God of your life.

If you believe (see above verse) you will be saved and will live with Him eternally in your life, starting the moment you accept Him. The Dark One, the Devil, Satan, will try to break your faith in the True God. But God will help you overcome. Connect with other believers, but always be sure they believe the Bible and follow it.

To learn about Jesus, read the book of John in the Bible, the one infallible source for Truth from God.

The realm of the supernatural is the fourth dimension.

I'm Maximum Ride, peace out.


End file.
